A recent survey of 1036 Central Library customers shows that the library is doing a great job serving its customers, according to Cathy Thompson, Central Library Manager. However, there are some areas where customers would like to see improvements and that is helpful for the Library.

"The survey has been extremely useful for showing us what we are doing really well and identifying some aspects we can improve on", says Cathy Thompson. " the services we provide belong to the residents of Christchurch, so we wanted them to have their say about how well we are serving them".

The survey showed that customers are very satisfied with:

• most of our collections
• the helpfulness and knowledge of our staff
• our weekday hours
• the technology we provide.

The areas where customers want to see improvements include:

• having the library open longer hours on Saturday and Sunday
• better signage
• the layout of the library
• making the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) easier to use
• unrestricted internet access

Background

The survey was carried out as part of a project to review the Central Library building 18 months after a refurbishment was completed in October 1997. "We are evaluating what is working well and what is not working so well for our customers with the new layout", says Ms Thomson. "The project will result in recommendations about the Central Library to further improve service to our customers", said Ms Thompson. "We are delighted with people’s willingness to have their say about the Central Library and thank them for their help.

Prize draw

Customers completing the Central Library survey were invited to go into a prize draw for a trip for two on the Tranz Alpine Express. The lucky winner is Kerry Hazelwood.

Photo opportunity: Kerry will collect her prize from Cathy Thompson at 3.30 pm Tuesday 31 August at the Central Library.

For more information contact:

Cathy Thompson, Central Library Manager, Canterbury Public Library, 941 7923

Glenda Fulton, Marketing and Development Manager, 372 7840